1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer system tower unit housing having external side members that are lockable together onto the internal chassis by a single lock.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Personal computers are generally comprised of three physical components. Firstly, there is the main system unit which holds the computer operation internals such as power supply, circuit boards and disk drives. A keyboard is used for data entry and a display screen or monitor is provided for display of the data. This arrangement is, of course, very well known. Until recent years, all of these components have been arranged for a desk top with the keyboard placed in front of the system unit and the display screen or monitor placed on top of the system unit. Because such arrangements require considerable desk space, the computer industry developed "tower units." Tower units are generally rectangular or box-like housings adapted to sit on the floor and typically include a disk drive bay located in the upper part of the tower unit so that a user may easily access and operate the tower unit from a desk chair. In addition to the popularity of tower units for conservation of space, tower units have also become popular as file servers for networks where it is necessary for a network system to have a central file server having an assembly of more powerful computer components than found in the individual computers that form the network.
Whether a tower unit is used as a stand-alone computer or as a network file server for a network or for other purpose, it is often desirable that the tower unit housing be locked to prevent unauthorized access to the computer internals. Typically, such tower units were locked with a key lock which was mounted into the front or the rear housing panels or covers of the tower unit. Such key locks actuated one or more lock lugs which rotated into slots to hold the front or the rear panel of the computer in a locked position.
Due to the heavy competition in the computer business today, most computer companies are striving to develop an economy line of products to provide the user the fundamental computer elements at as low a price as possible. Since locks mounted into the computer housing are expensive and are not necessary for every user, it is desirable to make a tower unit which is lockable without including a built-in key lock which adds to the price of the unit but is of little value to those who do not desire to lock the unit.